Minnesota agitators arrested in wake of church invasion, Bondi says

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Bondi vows ‘we’re not going anywhere’ until church protesters are held accountable

Fox News correspondent David Spunt reports on the latest developments in Minneapolis amid ongoing civil unrest on ‘Special Report.’

Federal authorities have arrested two anti-ICE agitators after a mob stormed a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday.

Bondi named Nekima Levy Armstrong and Chauntyll Louisa Allen as the suspects. FBI Director Kash Patel says the pair are charged with violating the FACE Act, which prohibits interfering with the exercise of religion at a place of worship.

"Minutes ago at my direction, HSI and FBI agents executed an arrest in Minnesota. So far, we have arrested Nekima Levy Armstrong, who allegedly played a key role in organizing the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota," Bondi wrote on X.

"A second arrest has been made at my direction. Chauntyll Louisa Allen has been taken into custody," she announced minutes later.

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Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights lawyer and activist, was arrested on Thursday in Minnesota. (Chris Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images)

"We will share more updates as they become available. Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP," she added.

Armstrong, whose website identifies her as a civil rights lawyer and "scholar-activist," helped to organize the storming of Cities Church in in St. Paul on Sunday.

Allen is a member of the St. Paul School Board who also helped organize the protest.

FILE - Chauntyll Allen, leader of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities, spoke in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Aug. 1, 2023. (Angelina Katsanis/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

Armstrong continued to harass people connected with the church as recently as Wednesday, when she accused one of its pastors of having a "conflict of interest" due to working for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ST PAUL PASTOR DENOUNCES ANTI-ICE AGITATORS WHO DISRUPTED CHURCH SERVICE, SAYS 'WE'RE HERE TO WORSHIP JESUS'

Anti-ICE agitators targeted the Cities Church in Minneapolis on Sunday, shouting down churchgoers in the middle of services. Cities Church pastor  Jonathan Parnell condemned the agitators in a statement on Tuesday. (Facebook/DawokeFarmer2)

Armstrong claimed in a Facebook post that one of the church’s pastors is a leader at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The demonstration is one of many throughout the Twin Cities in protest of the federal government’s surge of immigration enforcement officials to crack down on widespread fraud taking place in the state.

The Sunday attack saw dozens of agitators storm Cities Church during its service. Video from the incident showed activists screaming at congregants, including children.

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Before the Sunday service disruption, Armstrong caused controversy through her far-left views and activism. She has also been a key organizer of the boycotts against Target over its decision to scale back its diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

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In a September 26 post, Armstrong had high praise for Joanne Chesimard, also known as Assata Shakur, who was convicted of the murder of State Trooper Werner Foerster in 1977. Armstrong called her "a brave, wise, powerful, and revolutionary Black woman."

Fox News' Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.